Nikon Z6 III Hands-on Review
Summary Verdict
The Nikon Z6 III, priced at £2699, offers an impressive set of upgrades over the Z6 II, borrowing features from the high-end Z8 and incorporating a new 24.5MP partially stacked CMOS sensor. This enhancement boosts its speed and performance, and it seems ideal for sports, wildlife, and action photography. The advanced subject detection and tracking system, derived from the Z9 and Z8, coupled with a faster readout speed, enhanced viewfinder and high-end video features should also make the Z6 III a strong contender in the market.
Score: TBC
For
New, partially stacked CMOS sensor
Oustanding electronic viewfinder
Vari-angle touch screen
Against
High price compared to its predecessor at launch
Two different memory card slots
What is the Nikon Z6 III?
The Nikon Z6 III is a full-frame mirrorless camera with the Nikon Z mount, and it’s the successor to the Nikon Z6 II. Like its predecessor, the Nikon Z6III has a pixel count of 24.5-million, but it has a completely new sensor that is partially stacked to enable faster data readout. In addition, the new camera has the same subject detection and tracking system as the Nikon Z9 and Nikon Z8. These points add to the camera’s appeal for sports, wildlife and action photography.
Nikon Z6 III Price and Availability
The Nikon Z6 III’s price is £2699 / $2497 / €3099, body only. It’s also set to be available in three kits with different lenses. Paired with the Z 24-70mm f/4 the Z6 III kit price is £3249 /$3097, with the Z 24-120mm it will be £3539, and with the Z 24-200mm lens it will be £3439. The Nikon Z6 III is expected to go on sale in July.
Nikon Z6 III Key Specifications
Camera type: Full-frame mirrorless
Announced: 17th June 2024
Sensor: 24.5MP full-frame partially stacked BSI CMOS
Lens mount: Nikon Z
Autofocus system: Hybrid AF (contrast AF / phase-detection AF) with 273 focus points (single-point AF), 299 focus points (auto-area AF)
Subject Detection AF: People (eyes, faces, head and torso), animals (whole bodies and heads and eyes for cats, dogs, birds and ‘other animals’), cars, motorbikes, bicycles, trains and aeroplanes.
Viewfinder: 0.5-inch 5.76-million-dot 4000-nit EVF with DCI-P3 colour
Screen: Vari-angle 3.2-inch 2.1K-dot touchscreen
Maximum Continuous Shooting rate: Jpeg: 120fps in 10MP (DX) mode, 60fps in 24MP mode. Raw: 14fps (mechanical shutter), 20fps (electronic shutter)
Sensitivity range: 100 to 64000 (expandable to 50-204800)
Key video specifications: Internal 6K/60P (RAW) and 5.4K/60P (YUV) recording. 4K UHD/60p video oversampled from 6K in-camera and 1080P at 240p (10x slow motion)
Image stabilisation: In-body 5-axis giving 8EV compensation
Multiple exposure blend modes: Add, average, lighten, darken
Storage: 1x SD/SDHC/SDXC UHS-II, 1x CFexpress / XQD
Battery: EN‑EL15c rechargeable Li-ion battery (compatible with EN‑EL15a and EN‑EL15b)
Dimensions W x H X D: 138.5 x 101.5 x 74 mm / 5.5 x 4 x 3 inches
Weight: 760g / 1 lb. 10.9 oz. with battery and memory card but without body cap and accessory shoe cover; 670 g/1 lb. 7.7 oz. camera body only
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The joystick on the back of the Nikon Z6 III is well-positioned and has a stippled texture to give it grip.
Features
The Nikon Z6 III has a new 24.5MP partially stacked backside-illuminated (BSI) CMOS sensor. That’s a first for a consumer camera. Stacked sensors enable the data to be read out quicker than from a standard BSI sensor, but they are more expensive to make. Using a partially stacked design enables the Z6 III to offer a balance between speed and affordability.
According to Nikon, the top and bottom sections of the Z6 III’s sensor have a stacked construction while the middle uses a regular BSI design.
While a fast readout speed paired with a fast processor like the Z6 III’s Expeed 7 engine, boosts a camera’s continuous shooting rate, it’s also important for autofocus performance and subject detection. As the Z6III has a partially stacked rather than fully-stacked sensor, it doesn’t quite match the speed of the Z9 or Z8, but it should surpass other BSI sensors. According to Nikon Europe’s Ricci Chera, the Nikon Z6 III’s readout speed is 3.5x faster than the Z6 II’s.
That fast scan rate effectively avoids rolling shutter effects which can result in moving subjects appearing to lean or distort.
Because the Z6 III’s sensor isn’t fully stacked, Nikon has given it a mechanical and electronic shutter. The Nikon Z8 and Z9 are unusual because they only have electronic shutters.
The Z6 III can shoot continuously at up to 120fps (frames per second) in 10MP JPEGs (DX mode) and 60fps in 24MP JPEGs. In raw format, it supports 14fps shooting with the mechanical shutter and 20fps with the electronic shutter. Importantly, the autofocus calculations remain rapid at 120fps, regardless of the shooting rate.
There’s also Pre-Release Burst mode, in which the camera uses its electronic shutter and starts to buffer images from the point the shutter release is half-pressed. Once the button is pressed home, the camera will write the images from the previous second to the memory card, thus enabling it to record 30, 60, or 120 images before the shutter button is pressed fully. From then on, the camera will shoot until the battery expires or the memory card is filled.
Still images can be captured in HEIF, Jpeg or Raw format, or Raw and Jpeg or HEIF simultaneously. HEIF files capture a wider range of tones than Jpegs, but they’re not widely supported or compatible with many image-editing software packages.
Compared with the Z6 II, Nikon has significantly upgraded the viewfinder in the Z6 III, going from a 0.5-inch 3.69-million-dot electronic viewfinder (EVF) to a 0.5-inch 5.76-million-dot EVF. It also has a brightness of up to 4000 nits, which is 1000 nits brighter than the viewfinders in the Z8 and Z9. That extra brightness is useful when you’re shooting outdoors in bright conditions because the viewfinder is closer in brightness to the ambient conditions, making it more comfortable to use.
The increased viewfinder resolution over the Z6 II, Z7 II, Z8 and Z9 also enables the Z6III’s viewfinder to show more fine detail and give a more natural view. Meanwhile, EVF refresh rate is 60fps, and it has the DCI-P3 colour space, which is a first for mirrorless cameras. This ensures accurate colour representation in a range of lighting conditions.
The 299-point autofocus (AF) system of the Z6 III is said to be comparable to those in the Z8 and Z9, featuring pro-level 3D tracking (a first for the Z6-range), subject detection and tracking along with eye detection technology. Its subject detection system can be set to detect People (eyes, faces, head and torso), animals (whole bodies and heads and eyes for cats, dogs, birds and ‘other animals’), cars, motorbikes, bicycles, trains and aeroplanes.
Further good news is that the Nikon Z6III’s AF system is sensitive down to -10EV, so it should be dependable in low light conditions.
Introduced in August 2016, the Z6 and Z7 were the first full-frame mirrorless cameras from Nikon. They were also the first Nikon interchangeable lens cameras to feature in-body image stabilisation (IBIS), or vibration reduction (VR) as Nikon refers to it. In the original Z6, the 5-axis stabilisation gave up to 5 stops of shutter speed compensation. The Nikon Z6 II’s IBIS delivered the same level of stabilisation as the Z6, but the Z6 III makes a jump up to 8 stops of compensation. This is enhanced by Focus Point VR, which was first seen in the Nikon Zf. In this mode, the stabilisation pivots around the autofocus point to maximise stabilisation, potentially adding an extra stop of effectiveness. Electronic VR is also available for video recording.
Although excellent cameras and way beyond what some may have expected from first-generation full-frame mirrorless models, the Nikon Z6 and Z7 were heavily criticised for only having one memory card slot. This was addressed for the Nikon Z6 II and Z7 II, which have dual card slots, one supporting CFexpress or XQD cards and the other UHS-II SD cards. The Nikon Z6 III has the same dual card slot setup.
The Nikon Z f introduced Pixel Shift shooting to the Nikon Z-series, this feature sets the camera to take a series of 4, 8, 16 or 32 images (raw files), shifting the sensor between shots. These can then be combined using Nikon’s NX Studio software, to create images of up to 96MP. This same functionality has been included in the Nikon Z6 III.
For videographers or hybrid shooters, the Nikon Z6 III offers full-frame 4K and 6K RAW in-camera recording at up to 60P, 10x slow motion at 240fps in 1080P (1920 x 1080) and various codecs, including N-RAW, ProRes RAW HQ, ProRes 422 HQ, H.265 (HEVC), and H.264 (AVC). It supports 12-bit RAW or 10-bit N-Log recording. Although you can connect an external recording, N-Log footage can be recorded internally. The camera can record 6K at up to 60p RAW and 5.4K/60P, as well as 4K at upto 60P with oversampling. Shooting 4K video at up to 120P is also possible but without oversampling. That’s a lot of useful functionality offered in-camera without needing an external recorder.
It’s worth noting that neither the Z8 nor Z9 are currently able to record 1080P video at 240fps.
Power supply and storage are likely to be the main limitations to video capture as the Nikon Z6 III can shoot video continuously for up to 120 minutes.
In addition, the Nikon Z6III features a line-in audio port, which can be switched to accept a microphone via the camera’s menu, Hi-Res zoom (which allows you to zoom in while shooting video without losing resolution), and support for timecode and UltraSync Blue.
The Z6 III includes Flexible Picture Controls, allowing users to create custom profiles in NX Studio and adjust them in-camera.
In other news, Nikon will launch Nikon Imaging Cloud, a free cloud service that offers direct-to-camera firmware updates, camera-to-cloud image storage, plus ‘image recipes’.
Unlike the Nikon Z8 and Z9, the Nikon Z6 III has an exposure mode dial on its top plate - in keeping with the Z6 II and Z6.
Build and Handling
At first glance, the Nikon Z6 III looks very similar to the Z6 II, but there are a few changes here and there. For a start, it’s a little bigger, with a more pronounced grip, but it’s still significantly smaller than the Nikon Z8.
At 760g (with battery and memory card), the Nikon Z6 III is the heaviest Z6-series camera to date, but it’s only 55g heavier than the Z6 II and it’s much lighter than both the Z8 (910g) and Z9 (1340g). Nevertheless, the Z6 III is weather-sealed and can operate at temperatures as low as -10°C. The weather sealing extends to the optional battery grip, which supports dual batteries and includes a USB-C port for charging.
The Nikon Z6 III is slightly bigger and heavier than the Z6 II, but it’s still quite a lot smaller than the Nikon Z8.
Control-wise, the Nikon Z6 III is very similar to the Z6 II, but the playback button has shifted from the top left corner on the back to the bottom right corner, switching places with the drive mode button. This brings the playback button into line with the Nikon Z8 and Z9, which have a drive mode button on their top plate.
Unlike the Nikon Z8 and Z9, which have a mode button, and the Nikon Z f, which has more traditional exposure controls (shutter speed and ISO dials), the Nikon Z6 III has an exposure mode dial with the usual PASM options. That’s the same as the Z5, Z6, Z6 II, Z7, and Z7 II, so it will be familiar to anyone upgrading within that range.
While the Z6 III is larger than the Z6 II, it doesn’t feel bulky. It’s nicely sized and comfortable to hold, with the joystick falling under my right thumb when I need it. As before, the joystick has a stippled texture that gives it a good grip and makes it easy to use. The AF-ON button is also conveniently placed for anyone who likes to use back-button focusing.
Compared with the Nikon Z6 II, the drive mode button (top left) and playback button (bottom right) have swapped places.
The ‘I’ button, which opens the information menu, is also well-placed and provides a quick route to the key settings, which can be selected with a tap on the screen for adjustment.
On the subject of the screen, Nikon has stuck with the 3.2-inch 2.1K-dot touchscreen that’s on the Z6 II (and all the other current Z-series cameras), but like the Nikon Zf, it’s on a vari-angle hinge instead of a tilting bracket. This means that, unlike the Z6 II’s screen, the Z6 III’s monitor can be angled to give a clear view when you’re shooting in landscape or portrait orientation. It can also be flipped around to make it visible from in front of the camera, which is handy for vlogging or shooting the occasional selfie.
The 0.5-inch 3.6-million-dot viewfinder on the Z6 II is a solid performer, but the new 0.5-inch 5.76-million-dot 4000-nit EVF on the Z6 III is in a different league. It gives a very natural view and is a pleasure to use. I used the Nikon Z6 III on a rooftop basketball court, and although the sky was cloudy, it was June and still very bright. I didn’t notice any difference in brightness between the ambient light and the viewfinder, my transition was seamless. The main screen also provided a decent view, but reflections were inevitable, making the viewfinder a better option.
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The Nikon Z6 III’s grip is deep and has room for all your fingers without your little finger slipping under the camera.
Performance
I used a pre-production sample of the Nikon Z6III a few days ahead of its announcement, and it left a very good impression.
As I mentioned earlier, I was shooting on a rooftop basketball court in bright conditions, so there wasn’t an opportunity to look at the low light performance, but the subject detection system gave a brilliant account of itself when set to detect humans. In most cases, it spotted a human quickly when a person entered the frame, and if an eye was visible, it went straight to it, with the autofocus system adjusting to keep it sharp.
When the athletes were running straight towards me, the camera focused on one of them very quickly, and as they got closer, the focus stayed with them. The cameras switched to focusing on an eye when the features of the face were clearly discernible in the frame, somewhere between a three-quarter length and a head-and-shoulders shot.
Generally, the Z6 III does a good job of staying with your intended target. However, on one occasion, the focus shifted to the basketball as it passed in front of the player’s face, and it took a couple of frames (at 60fps) for it to get back onto their eyes once they were visible again.
I’ve shot sport successfully with the Z6 and Z6 II in the past and while the Z6 II is more responsive than the original Z6, the Z6 III is more responsive still. I will look at the Z6 III’s performance and responsiveness more when I get a sample with the final firmware.
Naturally, I will test it for animal and wildlife photography. Until now, the Nikon Z6 and Z7 series cameras have lagged behind the competition in terms of the range of detectable subjects, with animal eye detection only working for cats and dogs. The Z6 III can detect a wide range of animal eyes, including birds’ eyes. Although the version of the camera I tested didn’t feature this as a separate setting like on the Z8 and Z9, it’s within animal detection mode.
A bright, overcast sky can sometimes be tricky for a camera’s exposure system, but I found the Nikon Z6 III coped well. Naturally, mirrorless cameras bring an advantage here as you can see the impact of the exposure, colour and white balance settings on the screen and in the viewfinder before you take the shot. The clarity of the Z6 III’s viewfinder makes this especially true.
Nikon Z6 III Sample Images
We now have a full-production sample of the Nikon Z6III in for testing. Here are a few images taken at a wildlife park to test the animal subject detection. Follow the link to see the full-resolution images from the Nikon Z6III. Please respect our copyright.
Image credit: Angela Nicholson. This happy-looking merkat looked straight into the camera, and a yellow square immediately appeared around one eye. It was shot using the Z 70-200mm F2.8 S mounted on the Z6 III via a Nikon Z TC-2.0X Teleconverter. The camera settings were: shutter speed, 1/500 sec, aperture f/5.6, ISO 140.
Image credit: Angela Nicholson. This little monkey was fast-moving but the Z6III’s AF system was able to track it. Like many of the animals, it was photographed behind wire fencing that reduces to contrast (and sharpness), but this can be improved significantly in post-capture processing (see the next image). It was shot using the Z 70-200mm F2.8 S mounted on the Z6 III via a Nikon Z TC-2.0X Teleconverter. The camera settings were: shutter speed, 1/500 sec, aperture f/5.6, ISO 1000.
Image credit: Angela Nicholson. This is the same images as the one above but after a slight boost to the contrast and clarirty in Adobe Camera Raw.
Image credit: Angela Nicholson. Again, the Nikon Z6 III spotted and focused on the closest bird’s eye in this image. It was shot using the Z 70-200mm F2.8 S mounted on the Z6 III via a Nikon Z TC-2.0X Teleconverter. The camera settings were: shutter speed, 1/500 sec, aperture f/5.6, ISO 1600.
Image credit: Angela Nicholson. This Scottish wildcat made this a little harder for the camera by looking away, but the Z6III still detected the closest eye and focused on it. It was shot using the Z 70-200mm F2.8 S mounted on the Z6 III via a Nikon Z TC-2.0X Teleconverter. The camera settings were: shutter speed, 1/500 sec, aperture f/5.6, ISO 1000.
Image credit: Angela Nicholson. The Animal subject detection works with dogs, including Arctic Foxes. This image was shot using the Z 70-200mm F2.8 S mounted on the Z6 III via a Nikon Z TC-2.0X Teleconverter. The camera settings were: shutter speed, 1/500 sec, aperture f/5.6, ISO 1000.
Image credit: Angela Nicholson. The Animal subject detection worked perfectly with this prairie dog. This image was shot using the Z 70-200mm F2.8 S mounted on the Z6 III via a Nikon Z TC-2.0X Teleconverter. The camera settings were: shutter speed, 1/500 sec, aperture f/5.6, ISO 1000.
Image credit: Angela Nicholson. Otters are challenging subjects but the Nikon Z6III’s Animal subject detection makes things a lot easier! This image was shot using the Z 70-200mm F2.8 S mounted on the Z6 III via a Nikon Z TC-2.0X Teleconverter. The camera settings were: shutter speed, 1/500 sec, aperture f/5.6, ISO 1000.
The images below were captured using an early sample of the Nikon Z6 III, so image quality may vary from those captured here. Follow the link to browse full-resolution images from the Nikon Z6 III on Flickr. Please respect our copyright.
Image credit: Angela Nicholson. The Nikon Z6 III followed the basketball players well as they ran around the court. This image was shot at f/1.6 and 1/1250sec ISO 100 using the Nikon Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.2 S lens.
Image credit: Angela Nicholson. Shooting at 60fps gives you plenty of scope for image selection post-capture. This image was shot at f/1.6 and 1/1250sec ISO 100 using the Nikon Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.2 S lens.
Image credit: Angela Nicholson. The view in the viewfinder looks just like this image - very natural and detailed. This image was shot at f/1.6 and 1/1250sec ISO 100 using the Nikon Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.2 S lens.
Image credit: Angela Nicholson. The Nikon Z6 III stayed with the intended subject despite the proximity of the basketball in the foreground. This image was shot at f/1.6 and 1/1250sec ISO 100 using the Nikon Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.2 S lens.
Early Verdict
The Nikon Z6 II and Nikon Z7 II were excellent cameras when they came out in October 2020, but there’s been a lot of progress made in camera technology since then, especially with respect to autofocusing and subject detection. The Nikon Z9 and Z8, are both superb and have won many accolades, including the SheClicks Premium Camera of the Year 2024 for the Z8, making the Z6II and Z7II seem even more ready for updating. There’s plenty more testing to be done, but the Nikon Z6III already seems like a class-leading camera with exciting features for photographers and videographers or hybrid shooters.
While a 4-way-tilting screen like the Z8’s and Z9’s is robust, the vari-angle screen on the Z6 III is very quick and easy to use. Plus you get the bonus of the view from in front of the camera. In addition, the new high-resolution super-bright viewfinder adds a real touch of class.
So far the Nikon Z6 III’s subject detection and autofocus systems have impressed and I’m looking forward to testing them on a more diverse range of subjects. On the face of it, the Nikon Z6 III looks like a real contender for anyone looking for a camera for sport, action, wildlife or general photography.
SheHopes
As Nikon revealed that the Z6III would be announced at 13:00 BST on Monday, 17th June, I asked a few Nikon-shooting SheClickers what features they hoped the new camera would have. Here’s what they said:
Philippa Huber
I'm looking to switch to a mirrorless camera from my Nikon D750, and I’ve been waiting with bated breath for the Z6 III. I'm looking for excellent low-light capabilities and spot-on eye tracking for dogs (definitely) and birds generally. I’d also like two memory card slots, but I presume that’s a given, and also a menu layout that isn't too dissimilar to previous Nikon cameras like my D750.
It looks like Philippa will get everything she’s wishing for with the Z6 III.
Alex Rutherford
This is more about the build than the functions, but I would like the back screen to flip closed for protection as it does on the Nikon D5200, but not on the Z6II. I also prefer the PASM dial without the press down lock button in the middle so I can change the setting with one hand. Otherwise I love my Z6 II.
Alex will be pleased to see the vari-angle screen on the Z6 III.
Stephanie Stephenson
I’m a Nikon Z6 user and I’m very happy with it, but maybe what I would appreciate (for a future model) is if it could be lighter.
Unfortunately for Stephanie, the Z6 III is a little heavier than the Z6 and Z6 II.
Nicky Robley
I have had a Nikon Z6 since it was released, as well as a Nikon D850. I keep thinking I should trade the whole lot in for a Nikon Z8, however I’m interested to see what the Z6 III offers as have been more than happy with my Z6 and I know it inside out!
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Charlotte Bellamy
Although I'm a professional photographer, camera size is actually a big factor for me, and that's why I love the Nikon Z6 II. I wouldn't swap to the Z7 II because of its lower ISO capabilities, and I don't feel I'm lacking in size in my images for printing etc, so I wouldn't pay extra for extra pixels.
The only thing I know the Z6II is not so good at is the number of focus points, which sometimes means it searches a bit before it grabs the bird in flight! But then I'm normally doing ICM (intentional camera movement) as well, so it does have to work particularly hard for me. Subject detection is of interest. I’d also love to see multiple exposure raw file output as, at the moment, the final result is only a Jpeg. It means you have to re-composite the images in Photoshop if you really want a good-quality file.
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We don’t have any information about the multiple exposure capability of the Nikon Z6 III yet, but the autofocus system should please Charlotte.
Davina Clift
I have the Nikon Z7 II which has more than enough pixels for my needs. I would like to see a vari-angle screen on the new camera so it swivels horizontally and vertically. I really miss this feature.
Good news for Davina!
It’s interesting to note that nobody mentioned wanting a higher pixel count. The Z6 III has the same resolution as its predecessor, 24.5-million-pixels. That’s enough to create prints that measure 51.25 x 34.14 cm or 20.16 x 13.44 inched at 300ppi. The Nikon Z7-series cameras have higher resolution (45.7MP), the same as the Nikon Z8 and Z9. I had wondered if Nikon might go for something in between 24Mp and 45MP, maybe 30MP, but 24.5MP offers an excellent balance between image size, file size and noise control at high ISO settings.
